Hi all,
I live in Germany and had a Motorola Milestone 2 before. On my new beloved Droid 3 which I imported and unlocked for usage with Vodafones network I noticed signal issues with both EDGE and 3G. So I searched for a soultion and found a thread about the Droid 2 Global which is said to have a not so well GSM signal too and offers a solution for this.
After adding these lines to my build.prop I have noticed a HUGE improement of signal strengh and data transfer speeds.
Code:
the code is (much thanks goes out to Zeppelinrox and his v6 supercharger script):
ro.ril.hsxpa=3
ro.ril.gprsclass=12
ro.ril.hep=1
ro.ril.enable.dtm=1
ro.ril.hsdpa.category=28
ro.ril.enable.a53=1
ro.ril.enable.3g.prefix=1
ro.ril.htcmaskw1.bitmask=4294967295
ro.ril.htcmaskw1=14449
ro.ril.hsupa.category=9
Please test it and tell me if it works for you too!
This is the original Droid2Global thread: http://www.droidforums.net/forum/dr...acking-tweaking-3g-settings-radio-driver.html
According to the thread you linked it was added to local.prop , not build.prop?
I'm also guessing he meant local.prop
So anyways, added it to the file, rebooted, and everything still works.
It's too soon to say if anything improved at all. Not more bars than before the reboot anyways.
Hi,
yes I know that in THAT case it was added to local.prop, but while looking around I saw that these "tweaks" are pretty old. On a CM page those lines were added to the build.prop so I put them there, too.
PLEASE report if you notice any improvements.
Ok i see. So you were correct after all. I will change it and report back
Edit: Changed it in my build.prop this time, and rebooted, but not much has changed for me.
I'm on the Vodafone network in The Netherlands.
OK, would you say that it would be better to put those lines in the local.prop then?
Nope, i'm saying neither of them are doing anything for me
But i did some searching for the changes you mentioned, and one of the articles said it could take up to 3 reboots before it takes effect.
There was no mention of signal though. Just speed.
Well, I just tested this. And it seems to have resulted in better signal reception. At least for me, so thank you for digging it out!
I tested it too but it doesnt work for me. Maybe it depends on the carrier you´re on. (I use E-Plus)
I tried to edit both Local.prop and Build.prop, I had no problem with editing Build.prop...
but for Local.prop, it resets to default as soon as I reboot my Droid 3, is this the reason why I have not experienced any improvement?
Thanks.
You could also use Network Info II or some sort of signal checker off of market to get a numeric before/after measurement of your cell signal. I'm interested in the results.
@Moderator: Please move this topic to general! Thanks!
i found no difference in the dbm of my signal strength after this, and in all honesty unless you do a large number of speedtests before and after (i'm talking 20), any differences you see will probably be within the margin of error
onethreeteeh said:
i found no difference in the dbm of my signal strength after this, and in all honesty unless you do a large number of speedtests before and after (i'm talking 20), any differences you see will probably be within the margin of error
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's what I figured, too bad
Is anybody else's phone hanging around in 3G even if the singal strenght is ~109db (or no signal bar) and no more mobile internet is possible, but at 2g the signal would be great? It takes just too long to switch and its burning battery like hell meanwhile.
I did notice that too...
I'm on a dext while motorola fixed my hardware keyboard again .. it has the same problem, poor battery life, low 3g signal but no 2g signal at all. Probably related to my provider but i did notice thatwith the last swap phone they gave ne (desire z) it had at least 2 bars better reception and 3-4 times the battery life. Didn't measure the dbm for any hard numbers when i had it. Shame
Willis111 said:
I'm on a dext while motorola fixed my hardware keyboard again .. it has the same problem, poor battery life, low 3g signal but no 2g signal at all. Probably related to my provider but i did notice thatwith the last swap phone they gave ne (desire z) it had at least 2 bars better reception and 3-4 times the battery life. Didn't measure the dbm for any hard numbers when i had it. Shame
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you trying to get 2G signal on Bell Canada? If so - no GSM phone will ever pick signal - Bell does not have 2G network - only 3G.
Willis111 said:
I'm on a dext while motorola fixed my hardware keyboard again .. it has the same problem, poor battery life, low 3g signal but no 2g signal at all. Probably related to my provider but i did notice thatwith the last swap phone they gave ne (desire z) it had at least 2 bars better reception and 3-4 times the battery life. Didn't measure the dbm for any hard numbers when i had it. Shame
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a DZ and my Droid 3 is crossing the Atlantic sea right now, I can compare them easily the next week.
After the poor battery experience with the milestone 1 I decided to keep the DZ, to see if the droid 3 is usable.
I added the code to build.prop and after reboot it remained.
But I didn't noticed an improvement in signal strength. :-(
Sent from my DROID3 using Tapatalk
Related
I seem to notice better signal strength with certain ROMs, is this placebo? Do you guys notice this as well?
WHICH RADIO DO YOU GUYS USE ON THE G1?
I updated to the latest and it seems to be good sometimes... and piss poor other times. At my desk at work, I get ZERO data frequently (followed by 2 bars 3G or Edge). That is absurd.
Has anyone noticed improved signal with one radio over another?
There was a discussion on the nexus forums about undervolt kernels affecting signal strenght but I don't remember what the outcome was. Theory was that less power to radio=less signal strenght, so that might be a culprit. Other then that I can't think of anyway that a rom would be slower at internet then another lol.
^ yeah... admittedly it could be placebo, but I do seem to have better luck with certain ROMs.
Any idea about the radio's and if one is actually preferred?
So if we have root finally can someone tell me if there is any way to resolve the signal strenght problem?? It looks like Droid 3 has different perception of signal strenght than my Motorola Milestone... When my milestone has signal about -83dB it has all 4on4 bars of signal strenght, and on Droid 3 -80dB means 2x4 bars...
the problem is when the signal is around -90 dB... Milestone has than 2on4 bars and Droid 3 has 1on4 bars or is Out of service...
Is there any file in the system that manage D3's perception of signal???
Hope You can help me somehow...
When I got this phone I wondered about that myself. But I never had any issues with calls.
I'd say a new rom might be the answer, but hey...
This sounds like the same issue with Droid 2 Global. Try switching to 2G and see if bars "increase" so to say. On D2g it is more of a cosmetic issue, even Cyanogenmod ROM for that phone applies fix, so bar count is displayed properly.
Edit: on Motorola XT860 this works normally (compared to D2g it seems to get better reception too). For non-Verizon users, I strongly recommend this version over the US D3
To which setting do you put your "Set preferred network type" under *#*#4636#*#* ?
Mine is set to "GSM Auto (PRL)"
Also, TELUS doesn't have a 2G network, so I can't test that option.
My phone is rarely at 5x5, mostly 3x5 or 4x5. My previous Milestone almost always had 4x4.
You can also check your signal strenght over time if you check your battery stats and click on the graph at the top of your screen.
The first bar should be Green, yellow, red or gray depending on your signal strength.
mikenius said:
So if we have root finally can someone tell me if there is any way to resolve the signal strenght problem?? It looks like Droid 3 has different perception of signal strenght than my Motorola Milestone... When my milestone has signal about -83dB it has all 4on4 bars of signal strenght, and on Droid 3 -80dB means 2x4 bars...
the problem is when the signal is around -90 dB... Milestone has than 2on4 bars and Droid 3 has 1on4 bars or is Out of service...
Is there any file in the system that manage D3's perception of signal???
Hope You can help me somehow...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've had 3 replacements, first for out of service, then also screen and vibrate issues. All had the loss of service even with lots of towers near me. Usually a reboot fixes it but it's getting very annoying . Had a high level ticket opened with them and eventually was written off as a droid 3 issue and closed. They just don't want to help.
SX86 said:
To which setting do you put your "Set preferred network type" under *#*#4636#*#* ?
Mine is set to "GSM Auto (PRL)"
Also, TELUS doesn't have a 2G network, so I can't test that option.
My phone is rarely at 5x5, mostly 3x5 or 4x5. My previous Milestone almost always had 4x4.
You can also check your signal strenght over time if you check your battery stats and click on the graph at the top of your screen.
The first bar should be Green, yellow, red or gray depending on your signal strength.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am with Rogers and signal indicator is most of the time on 5 bars. I've seen it go down to 4, usually indoors, very seldom down to 3 or 2. I am yet to see 1 bar only or no bars at all (which wasn't at all unusual on my D2G
In that case, it must be a phone model vs cell towers (Bell/TELUS, Rogers) issue.
leobg said:
This sounds like the same issue with Droid 2 Global. Try switching to 2G and see if bars "increase" so to say. On D2g it is more of a cosmetic issue, even Cyanogenmod ROM for that phone applies fix, so bar count is displayed properly.
Edit: on Motorola XT860 this works normally (compared to D2g it seems to get better reception too). For non-Verizon users, I strongly recommend this version over the US D3
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried to change it to 2G only and it works and it shows 4/4 bars... however I use internet so 3G/HSPA is my preffered network and on 3G it shaws usually 1-2 bars and from time to time it drops the signal... It has to be software problem because when I change it to GSM Auto PRL from GSM only and it was at 2G showing full range it stays at 2G but shows 2 bars... so another MOTO bug... :/ but i would like to find out how to change it...
i recently unlocked, rooted and s-off my htc one, on stock i used to get around 5/4 signal bars and now i only get two/three.
im currently running trickdroid 7.5 rom 4.2.2.
so im looking for a radio which would work for orange/EE in the UK.
please can someone help, or point me into the right direction
this is the one for the 4.2.2 firmware
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=42139108&postcount=18404
Are you sure that it is not the same level? Don't be fooled by the bar looking different, remember that it might show 2 bars of LTE but that could still be better than 5 bars of H+ (as an example).
So if you used to get 5 bars of 3G but your now getting 2 bars of H or H+ then you are better off even though its less bars.
Please do not take this as me treating you as if you are stupid, I am not, I have come across a lot of people recently who thought the same, and it turned out to just be a different type of signal.
fixed
okk i just flashed 1.29.401.12 Radio and it's back to normal.
i found it here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2245615
Lennyuk said:
Are you sure that it is not the same level? Don't be fooled by the bar looking different, remember that it might show 2 bars of LTE but that could still be better than 5 bars of H+ (as an example).
So if you used to get 5 bars of 3G but your now getting 2 bars of H or H+ then you are better off even though its less bars.
Please do not take this as me treating you as if you are stupid, I am not, I have come across a lot of people recently who thought the same, and it turned out to just be a different type of signal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks for the input but!
i never said i was using my data connection,
Same principle applies even with data off.
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 4 Beta
Lennyuk said:
Are you sure that it is not the same level? Don't be fooled by the bar looking different, remember that it might show 2 bars of LTE but that could still be better than 5 bars of H+ (as an example).
So if you used to get 5 bars of 3G but your now getting 2 bars of H or H+ then you are better off even though its less bars.
Please do not take this as me treating you as if you are stupid, I am not, I have come across a lot of people recently who thought the same, and it turned out to just be a different type of signal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So if I have 5 bars when set to "GSM" only but 2-3 when set to "GSM/CDMA" .. that's as good?
I'm being serious btw, I normally set mine to just GSM as I seemed to have more signal but if there isn't any point then I won't bother lol ..I'm in the UK btw and on a network that doesn't support LTE (I think)
AllAboutTheCore said:
So if I have 5 bars when set to "GSM" only but 2-3 when set to "GSM/CDMA" .. that's as good?
I'm being serious btw, I normally set mine to just GSM as I seemed to have more signal but if there isn't any point then I won't bother lol ..I'm in the UK btw and on a network that doesn't support LTE (I think)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can confirm the 'type' of signal you are getting at any time in the menu > settings > about part of the phone.
Your phone will automatically switch to whatever the best signal is available at any time, you don't really need to change your GSM/WCDMA settings, unless you really want to force it away from 3G connections (again this does not mean you have to have data turned on).
Cool, I'm not too fussed about what data type it uses as I rarely have data turned on, I just naturally assumed that by switching it from GSM'CDMA Auto to just GSM, meant that I'd have better reception, being that the signal bars went from 2/5 to 5/5 ... You learn something new everyday lol
EDIT: I checked my signal, and I mean my reception, not the data connection type, when switched between GSM/WCDMA Auto and GSM Only and there is a huge difference. I found this guide:
dB Signal - A basic guide
-50 to -60 (very strong, near a cell tower)
-60 to -70 (extremely good, rare)
-80 to -85 (normal downtown)
-90 to -95 (getting on the weak side)
-95 to -98 (weak, dropping calls)
-98 to -100 (bad, hard to stay connected)
-100+ (basically no usable signal)
When I set my phone to GSM Only I hover around -70, which is good, when I switch to GSM/WCDMA Auto it is a different story. I know it changes and finds the best signal, which I might add drains more battery on an already power hungry beast, but I was hovering at -100 which is terrible and often calls were dropping or people were saying it was engaged when infact I hadn't used it.
It's clear to me that in my case, GSM Only is the far better option if I actually want to use my phone to make calls ... Data speeds I'm not arsed about so EDGE is just fine with me.
I've seen some people post regarding less/lower signal bars when updating to the new radios which come with 4.3 and you have LTE.
At first I said "WTF" but then I realized... the bars are now sort-of working as intended...
Let me explain,
If you're connected to LTE, the bars are now based off your LTE signal strength. I noticed even at roughly -110 to -100 I only get one bar. I believe the bars start going up dramatically once you have a signal strength greater than -100 (for example, -95db, -85db) And we all know -130db is the cutoff before we lose LTE.
I figured this out once I turned the phone to "CDMA only" to test. Once on "CDMA only" I had almost full bars, (-70-75db for 3G/1x)
To conclude, if you're on LTE and only have 1 bar, you most likely/probably have great cell phone coverage as that 1 bar is determining signal strength for only LTE. When connected to LTE, you're also still connected to 1xRTT which is used for voice. LTE is only used for Data at the moment.
If you really want to test your cell phone coverage, you can get one of those programs to tell you both your 1x signal and 4G signal simultaneously.
Edit: I forgot to mention, Considering the LTE radio and 1x/3g radio are seperate, you're going to get mixed results depending on signal penetration through walls, trees, etc. From what I've seen so far, as of right now 1x/3g penetrates a bit better than LTE. But, really depends on your surroundings
Thanks for the info. Someone else tipped me off about this, and a few SpeedTest checks confirmed it. In fact, 1 bar with the 4.3 ROM produced slightly better results than the 4.1 ROM with 5 bars.
ED2O9 said:
Thanks for the info. Someone else tipped me off about this, and a few SpeedTest checks confirmed it. In fact, 1 bar with the 4.3 ROM produced slightly better results than the 4.1 ROM with 5 bars.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup, which makes sense because when connected to LTE on 4.1 the 5 bars are based off your voice coverage, not LTE strength.
Still seems kind of dumb. I'd rather know what signal I have to make a phone call rather than what kind of data I can expect.
Thanks for info !
Sometimes just 1 bar but internet working well, but 4-5 bars it is not working/slower !
I already posted about this problem but then I thought it was due to sleep mode.
So I still have signal problems with my One.
I saw that I had only one or two bars for the signal where I had a lot better reception with other phones.
I already put my sim card into a Galaxy S3 and a Galaxy Y, both of them have a far better reception than the One (4 to 5 bars).
My phone was already sent back for repair three times, they already swapped my motherboard two times, but it does not help.
The last time I got a bit angry in the shop so they took my phone in to test it out.
After four days they said they had no signal problems.
Last resort, another swap of the sim card card but now the signal is even worse.
I did notice when rebooting the phone it starts of with five bars and after two minutes or so it goes down to one or two.
When making a call with one bar it goes up when calling to four or five, some time after the call it goes down to one or two.
I already installed signal Guard Pro to check for effective signal loss and I had quite a lot durng the day as during the night.
I got the name of the customer service manager for the Benelux and France (Aernout Arends) but I do not have any contact information of this man apart from his linkedin.
So I sent him a Linked In invitation. If he responds I can ask him about this phenomenon.
Before the One I had a Sensation XE which I was very pleased with, since running on the One this problems started after a couple of months and since then it keeps on going.
I'd like to solve this since it was an expensive phone, apart from the signal loss I'm still very pleased with it but in the end a phone is used for calling and with a bad signal this is compromised.
I hope anyone out there can help me (or somebody at HTC), if not I need to buy another phone and I think I cannot sell this one since it isn't working properly.
deboopi2 said:
I already posted about this problem but then I thought it was due to sleep mode.
So I still have signal problems with my One.
I saw that I had only one or two bars for the signal where I had a lot better reception with other phones.
I already put my sim card into a Galaxy S3 and a Galaxy Y, both of them have a far better reception than the One (4 to 5 bars).
My phone was already sent back for repair three times, they already swapped my motherboard two times, but it does not help.
The last time I got a bit angry in the shop so they took my phone in to test it out.
After four days they said they had no signal problems.
Last resort, another swap of the sim card card but now the signal is even worse.
I did notice when rebooting the phone it starts of with five bars and after two minutes or so it goes down to one or two.
When making a call with one bar it goes up when calling to four or five, some time after the call it goes down to one or two.
I already installed signal Guard Pro to check for effective signal loss and I had quite a lot durng the day as during the night.
I got the name of the customer service manager for the Benelux and France (Aernout Arends) but I do not have any contact information of this man apart from his linkedin.
So I sent him a Linked In invitation. If he responds I can ask him about this phenomenon.
Before the One I had a Sensation XE which I was very pleased with, since running on the One this problems started after a couple of months and since then it keeps on going.
I'd like to solve this since it was an expensive phone, apart from the signal loss I'm still very pleased with it but in the end a phone is used for calling and with a bad signal this is compromised.
I hope anyone out there can help me (or somebody at HTC), if not I need to buy another phone and I think I cannot sell this one since it isn't working properly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
is it switching networks (3g/4g LTE)? voice can't use LTE 4g, so it will drop back to 3g for calls and then go back to LTE 4g once the call is done.
signal bars are a really poor way to understand your signal strength. there are some apps that help (network signal info for example) which show your strength in a more efficient manner, as well as what network type you're connected to.
cr1960 said:
is it switching networks (3g/4g LTE)? voice can't use LTE 4g, so it will drop back to 3g for calls and then go back to LTE 4g once the call is done.
signal bars are a really poor way to understand your signal strength. there are some apps that help (network signal info for example) which show your strength in a more efficient manner, as well as what network type you're connected to.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I turned 3G/4D off, I only turn it on when necessary, so that won't be the cause.
I installed network signal info right now and when I have one bar signal, this app gives me -102 db to -105db and it's over haf of its bars here, this info seems to look like mi signal is a lot better than the one bar I got.
deboopi2 said:
I turned 3G/4D off, I only turn it on when necessary, so that won't be the cause.
I installed network signal info right now and when I have one bar signal, this app gives me -102 db to -105db and it's over haf of its bars here, this info seems to look like mi signal is a lot better than the one bar I got.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you can set a value in your build prop that is specific to signal 'adjustments' from your particular provider. might then give you more realistic values along the lines of the Network Signal Info app.
I'm sorry I can't direct you to the link as I don't have it bookmarked.
*edit*
found it: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2594804